Seville Cathedral & Flamenco
Previous: To Seville, Flamenco Next: Royal Alcazar & Plaza de Espana
Seville Cathedral
October 18
I pre-purchased 11:00 a.m. entry tickets for the Seville Cathedral and La Giralda Tower via the Get Your Guide app. We had a casual morning, eating breakfast at the Airbnb. We walked about 10 minutes to the cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to find a line of about 50 people ahead of us, all with 11:00 entry. This was the first entry time of the day so we would be amongst the first people inside. Per our normal procedure when visiting a cathedral with a bell tower, we went right away to the tower upon entry to beat the crowd. This tower, called La Giralda Tower requires a separate entry fee from the cathedral, and is well worth it. In fact, this cathedral is perhaps the most breathtaking in beauty and size that we have ever seen. It is just gorgeous to look at from both inside and outside.
La Giralda Tower
The 300-foot high La Giralda Tower is ascended via a series of 35 ramps winding around its perimeter. Along the way there are sporadic open-air windows to peer out at the views of Seville or the buttresses and gargoyles adorning the cathedral and tower.
Fortunately, because we were amongst the first visitors in the morning, we encountered very few other people and made a bee-line for the top. We decided to take in the window views along the ramp on the way down to maximize the time with few people at the tower top. Once at the top, or the belfry, we took in the Seville scenery as well as the stunning array of massive iron bells above us and all around the perimeter of the top. We also experiencing the ringing of one of the bells…OMG was that ever loud! We were surprised that they ring the bells when people are up there, but they do. It was loud but very cool to hear and feel the thunderous clang.
After 20 minutes we headed back down the ramps to tour the church.
Once down from the tower we explored the cathedral. Let’s just say, this cathedral is freaking enormous. It is the largest cathedral in Europe, and its size is truly humbling. It’s large and also stunningly beautiful with its centuries-old blend of Gothic and Renaissance architectures. The pipe organs are simply mind boggling.
The cathedral also contains the remains of Christopher Columbus.
The Seville Cathedral is not to be missed by anybody visiting this region of Spain. We spent about 90 minutes at the cathedral and tower.
After the Seville Cathedral we walked around the area a bit, just admiring the street scenes.
When back to the Airbnb Chris and Deb chilled with lunch. Em and I got a nice quiet lunch nearby at the Bar Estrella, a sidewalk cafe.
After lunch, Em and I also chilled at the Airbnb until it was time to head out to the flamenco show that we pre-purchased tickets for the Flamenco Dance Museum, which is just a couple of minutes from the Airbnb.
Our tickets, which cost 10 Euros each were for 5:00 pm. We got there around 4:30 because the Get Your Guide app recommends getting there 30 minutes in advance in order to secure good seats. We ended up in the front row of this very small, intimate venue that sat maybe 50 people.
The show was more refined and professional than the show we saw the other night at La Carboneria. There were two female dancers and one male dancer, and one male and one female singer/wailer, and an outstanding guitar player. The dancers were fantastic. I t was a vibrant show with non-stop energy and emotion. It was one of the highlights of our trip for sure.
After the hour-long show we hit a rooftop bar for a drink. I can’t remember the name of this place, but it had a very cool black lighted, graffiti art walled stairway, and it offered great views of a lit up La Giralda Tower. But there was no real dinner menu, just “finger snacks”. So, we had a drink, enjoyed the view, then off to find some dinner.
Taberna Alambique in the nearby Alfalfa neighborhood was the choice because they had an available table. Dinner was fine, though our table was in an awkwardly cramped spot and the service was just ok.
Back to the Airbnb after dinner and off to bed.
